Owls - Reception Class

Ms Hayward is your class teacher as well as the Early Years Lead, supported wholeheartedly by Miss Everett, your teaching and learning assistant. Ms Hayward has worked with children for over 20 years, Early Years is where her heart is, working in the ‘magic’ of Reception for the last 7 years here at Woodlands Park. She enjoys reading, going to the theatre and having exciting adventures with her family. Miss Everett likes nothing more than to read a good book. She also is known for her ‘green fingers’, enjoying a spot of gardening and work on her grandad’s allotment. When Ms Hayward is away from the classroom planning and conjuring up ideas to spark your interest, Mrs B will join you in the fun and magic of Owls Class!

• All belongings to be labelled clearly and permanently.
• We go outside whatever the weather. Warm and waterproof coats are a necessity for cold and wet days.
• Welly Boots are needed for our adventures on Welly Wednesdays in our Woody P Woods. Boots remain in school.
• Water only in named water bottles please.
• Bring an afternoon snack (fruit and/or raw vegetables only please) for our story time session at the end of the day.
• Please access Tapestry (Online Learning Journal) regularly. Information can be found in the weekly Monday Memo. Most importantly, learning and achievements are celebrated and we love to hear about achievements at home too.

In Owls Class (Reception) you will follow the Early Years Framework Curriculum, a curriculum underpinned by child development, organised into 7 areas of learning. The emphasis is on you learning through your play. We achieve this through a combination of carefully planned development and learning experiences, many linked to your specific interests. Our curriculum at Woodlands Park Primary is designed with you, the individual child in mind. There will be plenty of opportunities across the year for you all to develop as individuals, enabling you to become the very best little person you can be. You will begin to learn about being a great friend, what this looks like and how you can support others and yourself. You will be encouraged to explore and investigate your surroundings and be challenged to always ‘have a go’ and ‘keep on trying’. Sharing stories and singing songs together will play an important part in your development and learning across our whole year together. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to make and build things, draw and paint pictures, perform shows, run, climb and balance, 'get messy' ... and simply just be you! Along the way you will learn to develop your reading skills. Likewise, as your mark making skills develop so will your writing skills. In the same way as your Literacy skills will develop through your play and carefully planned learning moments so will your Mathematics skills … Maths is everywhere! We are in no doubt there will plenty of moments where we will be able to celebrate together! Please remember we are always prepared to 'ditch the plan' in favour of an idea from anyone of you that has the potential to take us on an exciting journey or two! So, calling all our budding artists, performers, writers, mathematicians and scientists, are you ready Owls? Let's go and see where our journey takes us

Children in Reception learn the sounds that each letter makes during their daily phonics sessions to support them to read words. These sessions begin in the second week of their time in Reception and follow a clearly defined process to support each child to be successful. It is important that together we support your child to develop a strong foundation in their phonics development. At the appropriate time children will bring home books and/or other reading material that are directly linked to their phonics/reading level. It is expected that they will share this at home on a daily basis with a more experienced reader. Practicing little and often creates success for children. There is no right time to do this, it has to work for you and your family, but we suggest it is within a quiet space with limited distractions. It is important that children continue to hear stories being read to them, supporting them to enter magical worlds where they hear words that we do not use in everyday talk, where they encounter interesting characters and unusual settings, where they can embrace new ideas. They will soak these things up and hold them to be used later in their own writing. You are never too old to have a story read to you! Please continue to read to your child.

BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS from the reception team

REception reading spine

• In addition to your reading book in your Reading Folder you will be provided with access to a number of reading resources via your Oxford Owl login. You will have a whole term to complete reading the e-Books and online quizzes allocated to you.
• You will be provided with personalised Read Write Inc. Phonics links every 6 weeks based upon your most recent Read Write Inc. Assessment. Please use these at home to support you to develop your skills further.

PhonicsPlay - Resources – Useful to develop your phonics skills

Oxford Owl for School and Home – Use your Oxford Owl login to access a range of reading resources whilst at home

Early Years Maths - Topmarks Search – Useful for developing your early mathematical skills

Games - Free online games for kids 0 - 6 - CBeebies - BBC – Have fun exploring the educational games on offer to you

• What to expect in the EYFS– a guide for parents
• Early Years Framework Areas of Learning and Early Learning Goals
• Phonics Information Power Point
• Developmental Progress of Writing Image